Fischler Report: Time running out on Marchand?

Despite not yet having a contract, Boston forward Brad Marchand
was on the Ristuccia Arena ice last week in Wilmington, Mass.,
alongside 20 of his teammates, as the Bruins begin the process of
looking to defend their Stanley Cup.

“I’m anxious for it to be done,” Marchand
said. “I just want to be here and be on the ice with the
guys. That’s all I’m looking forward to.”

Coming off his entry-level contract, Marchand is projected to be
the Bruins No. 2 wing. However, his spot may be in jeopardy if the
forward isn’t signed before the start of training camp.

“I’m not thinking that far ahead right now,”
he said. “It’s just day-to-day. Hopefully it’s
done before then.”

Observations

* Sidney Crosby was as good off-ice as he
was on the rinks before being K.O.’d by concussions. His
bring-everyone-up-to-date press conference could not have been
handled better by The Kid, Penguins GM Ray
Shero or the two head-injury specialists invited by
the Penguins.

Crosby was as candid and insightful as one could be, never
ducking a question and never cutting any questioner short. Ditto
for Pittsburgh's affable GM and the medics. But no matter what any
theorizes, it's clear that: 1. Sid is not free of symptoms; and 2.
Nobody can foresee how a few hard -- but clean -- hits will affect
Crosby whenever he does return to action.

* Last week’s Lokomotiv disaster will be further
compounded if investigators determine that negligence by an airline
with a questionable safety record played a part in this horror of
horrors.

The hockey world is smaller than many think and -- like so many
others -- we count a number of ice pals among the victims. Among
them, former Bruins player Brad McCrimmon,
who was as solid a defenseman as he was a stand-up guy. Few loved,
played or -- in later coaching life -- diagnosed The Game as well
as Brad. He will be admirably remembered for his affability as much
for his starry efforts, most especially when “The
Beast” and Mark Howe combined for
one of the best two-way defensive pairs in history.

Gossip

* Isn't it interesting that within two weeks of the Bruins
announcing that the concussed Marc
Savardwould not play in 2011-2012, the man who bopped the
Bruins ace out of competition, Matt Cooke, is
explaining how he's going to be a reformed hockey player?

Even more interesting is the fact that not one questioner at the
Sid Crosby press conference last week brought up the fact that
Sid's teammate, Cooke, ruined Savard's career; and what did Crosby
have to say about that now that his own concussion symptoms have
not fully disappeared?

You can bet that Cooke's deportment will be viewed as intensely
as closely-watched trains.

* There are those who believe that the best of former Boston
College star Scott Clemmensen -- yes, as
a starting goalie -- has yet to be seen. Who knows? Clemmer may get
more ice now that he has a new coach in Florida.

* The Devils' top center, Travis Zajac,
spoke for the first time since tearing his Achilles tendon during
offseason training. Speaking with Tom
Gulitti's “Fire & Ice” blog, Zajac
revealed that the timetable for his return to the ice has still not
been determined. When the surgery was conducted back in August,
Devils GM Lou Lamoriello (Providence,
R.I.) said Zajac's recovery would take three months.

* That Ryan Callahan was a sure thing
to be named Rangers captain -- which he now is -- was not an
open-netter. Brad Richards, Marc
Staal and Brandon
Dubinsky all were reasonable choices. Nonetheless,
Cally epitomizes what coach John
Tortorella (Melrose, Mass.) hockey is all about. In
the end, Cally's selection is a natural.